This short fiction story was created for @theinkwell community and their 51st contest. The prompt for this week is:
You can find the informational post about this lastest offering Here for the rules and find all the entries as the authors post them in comments. I'm sure you will find some amazing stories to read, and please join us with your own contribution!
A light rap of knuckles against the door followed by receding footsteps down the front porch steps alerted Derrick that the mailman had just delivered THE PACKAGE.
He flung open the door and felt his heartbeat accelerate as he gazed at the shoebox sized cardboard Priority box sitting on the deck. It seemed to vibrate with a life of its own as his hands itched to snatch it up.
“Derrick, who’s at the door?” his mother called from the kitchen.
“Nobody, mom, just the mailman.” He did his best to keep the excitement out of his voice and pretend indifference as he secured the package tight against his chest and headed for his room.
You can find anything for sale on Facebook Marketplace and this was living proof of that fact. An obscure ad for an entire vintage set of Magik cards for a ridiculously low price had caught his eye last week. He couldn’t believe his luck, plus the fact that the price of the cards was exactly the amount of money he had saved from his summer mowing job.
No one played Magik anymore and none of his friends collected the cards but ever since last Christmas Derrick had been consumed with them. His Uncle Josh had given him a battered black notebook full of the cards encased in plastic collector’s sheets - 12 to a sheet and a total of 26 sheets in the book. Derrick spent hours pouring over the cards, reading the lore, and fantasizing about the lives of the characters and their powers.
The cards called to him and when he immersed himself in them he actually felt transported to the world of Magik. But it seemed like something was missing, that he needed more. And when his mother had pointed out the ad on Marketplace for those cards saying “Isn’t this that silly game you’re always holed up in your room playing?” it had felt like a key being turned in his soul. He knew he had to have them.
The carton felt warm to the touch, almost like handling a living creature instead of an inanimate cardboard box. Derrick carefully slit open the tape along the top of the carton and pulled the flaps apart. He peered into the box but it looked like a deep black hole, as if nothing was inside. Panic flooded his brain, this can’t be right, where are the cards? Yet the box had weight (and that strange tingling warmth) so no way could it be empty.
The notebook of Magik cards was laying open on his bed, as it usually was, and now the pages started turning by themselves. Slowly at first, then gaining speed, until they stopped at the 24th page in the book. The third row of cards held The Twisted Magician and that card rose out of the holder and floated above the notebook.
Derrick’s eyes widened like saucers and he flung himself off the edge of the bed and landed with a thud on the floor. He scooted backward by digging his heels into the carpet until his back came to an abrupt stop against the wall.
The Twisted Magician followed him across the room and floated gently to his lap. The card shimmered and Derrick heard a voice in his head. “Don’t be afraid, Derrick. You and I are going to do great things together. Come, let us gather the rest of the troops.”
Derrick got slowly to his feet, feeling slightly nauseous, scared spitless, yet strangely exhilarated. Back on the bed the box of cards was glowing and a low pitched rumbling sound was emitting from both the box and notebook of cards. Derrick felt the unspoken command to drop The Twisted Magician into the open maw of the box.
As soon as The Twisted Magician disappeared into the box the room turned pitch black and suddenly his limbs felt like he weighed as much as a stone statue. Which was what he felt himself to be since he was unable to so much as twitch an eyelid. Panic again threatened to overtake him but he felt a calming presence wash over him. “Be patient, Derrick. It will take a moment to cast the spell.”
Derrick would have asked questions, but he could not. All sounds from the house had faded away and he could now hear strange music that was moving to a crescendo. The very air seemed to be sucked from the room.
KaPow!
Derrick opened his eyes and found himself in the world of Magik. A flowing robe covered his body, a pointed cone-shaped hat sat on his head, and YES, OH YES, a sorcerer's wand was in his hand. All those days of pouring over the cards, imaging himself here in the land of The Gathering, aching to know their secrets.
The Twisted Magician stood beside him in full glory, a broad smile on his face. “You have no idea how long we have searched for the True Believer to unite us and bring us back to our glory. Come, Derrick, you have much to learn, and we have worlds to conquer together.”
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Very nice story @blueeyes8960! I will never understand how you can write such compelling stories in just a few sentences, NICE JOB!!
Thanks @crypt-skip, glad you liked it!
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Wonderfully appropriate!
Ouuu... I'm a sucker for a good magical adventure story and this did the trick!
I must commend you on the detailing in this story though. Especially the scenes when Derrick receives the package. I truly felt like I
delved into the same room and mind as Derrick witnessing his enthusiasm for those Magik cards.
Overall... Awesome story! I hope the true believer actually conquers those many worlds triumphantly!!
Thank you, @zeraton, very kind words indeed.
I love it when you can fall into a story and feel like you are there, it takes an open mind as well as a good story.
Awesome story, well crafted. Imagination is an awesome thing. 😀
Have a great day.
Thanks, @inthenow. Imagination seems to be the one thing I have plenty of, lol.
You have a great day as well. Cold and rainy here in Galveston, but back home in Illinois, the temp is in the teens with 10 inches of snow on the ground. So I'll take cold (40s) and rainy any day.
😆 It's the same here... but it's above freezing so that's a win!
Beautifully told. You gather the reader incrementally, bit by piece, laying intrigue on the path with awe inspiring, well, magic. I enjoyed the protagonist’s fascination with the cards and how you, cleverly, turn the legend into “reality”. Grandly done!🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♂️🤗❤️💕❤️ 🎩 🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩
Thanks, @itsostylish. This is one of those stories where I started with the package at the door and let the story lead me on its adventure. I had no idea where it was going to end up.
❤️ that’s how I write too. It’s always an adventure ❤️💕❤️❤️❤️
Clever story, @blueeyes8960! One wonders whether the mother will find the boy's empty room, the box, or no sign of anything that had transpired... and does he get to return home for dinner? Ha ha. Love it.
Thanks, @jayna. I can see that going either way - Derrick having his adventures while the time missing goes unnoticed in the real world and then returning home a new, bolder, more confident young man. Or like you said, his mother finding him gone...forever. Being a mother, I don't like that option as well, so I think I'll let him have his adventures and return home with a head full of memories and adventures!
I’m with you on that. The kiddos should always be able to go home.
I always imagined the same thing that Derrick had experienced. Buying magic and old things in the marketplace, then those things start to lure me into their world. KaPow! And the adventure begins! Your story is so cool.
Thank you @mosin-nagant for reading and commenting. I think we've all wanted to be transported to the world of magic at some point. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
Oh my. Did i stumble upon a written script for a movie? I love this. Beautiful story... Magik...🤭
@deradaora8 what a great idea, lol. I can actually see it as a series, with a new adventure every week! Thanks for stopping by.
Hehehe❤️
Like, I'm wowed!
Beautiful story, I can't help but create the scenes in my head ha ha 😂
Thanks @adeife2 I'm glad the story came alive for you!
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You've captured the dream of almost any teenager in this short story — to be transported fully into the world of a video game and become one of its characters. A great read!
Thank you for engaging with other writers by reading and commenting on their work, @blueeyes8960.
@silentbot star 4
Thank you @pibara for the creative rating! I don't think I've seen one of these before.
What an adventure for Derrick! No wonder he was excited when the package arrived. An adventure into video game and magik! I enjoyed reading your story. Well done, @blueeyes8960. 🙂
@kemmyb thanks for reading and dropping me a comment. I'm happy that you enjoyed it. It was fun writing it, someday I may need to tell a tale about some of Derrick's adventures.
Manual selection by @cliffagreen.
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Asombrosa historia, me encantó 😱😱😱🌞🧘🏾🥰
Good fiction story!